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General InformationTitle: New Avengers: Illuminati SpecialAuthor: Brian Michael Bendis Illustrator(s): Alex Maleev Original Publication Date: Copyright May 2006, though it was released in early April (or late March; I don't recall the exact date). Cover Price: $3.99 US, $5.75 Can Past comic reviews can be found here. PremiseAfter the Kree-Skrull War, Iron Man formed a meeting of various leaders of super groups to form a planetary protection team. Now, in the wake of Disassembled and Planet Hulk, the forthcoming Superhero Registration Act makes the Illuminati the first casualties of the impending Civil War. High Point"Well, I have to go home and fight with my wife about this for the rest of my life." Low PointThis feels like an entire issue of Iron Man telling us what's going to happen over the next seven months. We know that's coming. We know teammates will fight each other. In a summer event like this, some hero(es) always die(s), though they tend to get better in a year or two. It feels like it's just taking away some of the surprises. The ScoresThis feels original because it was the first title published that revealed what the Civil War was to those who don't read press releases. On the other hand, those of us who do read it know that the idea was spearheaded and planned by Mark Millar, and this title came in later. I give it 4 out of 6. The artwork uses less "copy and paste" than most of Maleev's work. (At least, less than most of the Maleev work I've seen.) There is one part that really bothered me, though: Black Bolt doesn't have a "Y" sewn into the fabric of his cowl, he has an ANTENNA that directs the energy of his voice when he does speak. It doesn't take much research to find that out, and yet, Maleev apparantly didn't know. I give it 3 out of 6. The story is, well, pretty much four conversations. Namor loses his temper and picks a fight, of course, but he wouldn't be Namor if he didn't. One conversation is about forming the group, one is Bendis' patented "conversation recapping a more interesting conversation we don't get to see," one is about straining them with the Planet Hulk thing, and the last is about tearing them apart for Civil War, but it's still three conversations with very little plot. This is hanging off of stories being told elsewhere. I give it 3 out of 6. The characterization is fairly good. It's mostly Iron Man talking, Namor bellowing, and others listening, but they're all saying exactly what I'd expect them to say, right down to T'Challa seeing further ahead than the group's self-proclaimed futurist. I give it 5 out of 6. The emotional response is weak in the story proper. (There's a preview of Civil War #1 in here as well, but I'll save that review for the actual issue.) Conversations can be interesting, but when we already know where they're going, they lose a lot of impact. I give it 4 out of 6. The flow is never smooth, in my opinion, when Maleev is the artist. It shouldn't be hard to make a continuous story when there's this much talking, but Maleev has a hard time with it. His characters just look too static. They look like charcoal or pencil sketches in still life class, with "still" being the operative word. Even in combat, there's no sense of motion. I give it 3 out of 6. Overall, it's a decent issue that serves its purpose of setting up the Civil War. It just feels like a comic that is trying to create a need that needs filling, rather than a comic that is trying to fill an existing need. I give it 4 out of 6. In total, New Avengers: Illuminati Special receives 26 out of 42. Civil War Review ChecklistThe following block will appear with each Civil War related review, and will be updated with links to the reviews previously written.
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